A forgotten promise
by ShadowDianne
Summary: Witcher AU. Monsters to haunt, sorceress to evade, councils to listen and nobility to serve... welcome to the world of the witchers in where everyone is a monster and nothing else works.
1. Prologue

If you are a fan of the series the creature I'm going to use is from the third game of the witcher. I prefer the books over the game but I really like the visuals of those so…XD

If you are not and want to ask me what the hell I'm doing I think I've written enough explanations inside the story to make easily understandable. If you have doubts feel free to ask! ^^

Ps: Yup, Regina as Yennefer, please, I need this, I need to read, write and see this.

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine (sadly)

In the middle of the night

The putrid smell of long ago eaten corpses floated through the river reaching the witcher's nose who winced, trying not to gag. She was mostly crouched at that point, trying to be invisible to whoever, or whatever, that could come through the path that bordered the riverbank she was in, the ice-cold water licking her leather boots as she waited there, her pupils adjusting every now and then to the slowly changing light that managed to reach that part of the forest. Dots of light danced on the water's surface making the witcher look at it, looking almost like a momentarily distracted cat as two long swords laid at her side, waiting, appropriately close to her body but not attached to her back as she would normally have them in order to prevent any metallic sparkle that could give her position away.

She was almost regretting having drank the potions before starting her mission since between the smell and the odor of mud and shit the forest seemed to be submerged on her nose felt clogged, when her ears picked up something different, strange, the rustle of something moving on her direction. Something big.

She tilted her head to one side, a pale blond tress of hair, almost white, falling in front of her eyes making her move her head, impatient. She could almost taste the darkness in which the quickly approaching creature seemed to be surrounded in.

Making a face she fastened her iron sword and unsheathed her silver one, the now orange light that illuminated the forest dim enough to not reflect on its surface as the hideous creature moved closer, called by the corpses Emma had previously exhumed and laid a few meters away of where she was.

Oh, the joys of being a witcher.

When she had arrived to the little town glued to the walls of Storybrooke like a child would to their mother's hand she had been sceptic of the tales she had been told about a creature that prowled in the night eating everything and leaving the corpses of the death to rot on the river that provided water to the village. Until she had seen the marks of teeth on those broken bones and realized that, no matter how, the simple villagers had managed to submit a ghoul and keep it around for more than a year without being bloody massacred by it she had truly believed that she was going to go back to traveling without any money on her. Then, it had only been a matter of how quickly she would be able to kill the thing. Or not.

She had been tempted to punch a few nobles that tried to talk to her and make her abandon the villagers with a few sweet words and more than enough gold to be able to not need to ask for work in every little place she came across for a few months but she had been smarter and so she had accepted the bribing gold before exiting the village and start thinking on a trap for the ghoul, leaving the nobles with a few less gold on their houses and she a little more richer than before. She could be a witcher, but not a monster like everyone seemed to believe and once the ghoul appeared from across the river she sighed, knowing that it was already too late to back away from the job.

Not that she would ever do that but still.

Ghouls were quite a common tale passed from mothers to children who didn't want to eat all their food or go to bed when their parents asked them to. It was common to hear the children chanting songs and riddles about the ghouls, about how they would eat you if you ever walked alone in the forest in the middle of the night. Of course, Emma knew, ghouls didn't attack living souls unless they felt threatened by them since they were mainly necrophages but they still were still formidable opponents. Something she was about to bring on herself.

Narrowing her eyes, she swallowed again trying to not be bothered by the stench the ghoul emanated and as she lowered herself even more she looked at the creature in front of her, the beast now sniffling the air, its face contorted into a horrible smile in where its long strong teeth stained with long ago dried blood glowed.

Ghouls looked vaguely like humans even though they really weren't humans but abominations, another of the long list Emma took care of, and as she looked at the crouching creature who needed to be on all fours to move its strong muscle-ripped body she sighed, remembering the tales she herself had needed to be taught on, on how merciless the ghouls would be if she ever left them alive.

Neither them or she had any option but to kill and so as the creature passed along where she was not sensing her thanks to one of the many potions she had previously drank and a quick bath on the river she had been in until now. Grabbing the silver sword more tightly and clutching her pendant, the one she had been giving in order to symbolize from where she was and what she was, she silently focused her strength on the runes of the sword that lighted for a second, power oozing from it like it always did.

The ghoul snarled viciously when it found the bait, starting to eat while grumbling, the sound of bones being crashed making the bile climb up again through Emma's esophagus, her enhanced senses doing nothing to hide the horrible smell the river emanated as the created feed, its own body infecting the once clear waters and creating the problem for what the witcher had been employed for.

Moving to her right and walking as slowly as possible in order to not create any ripple on the river's surface she approached the ghoul as the last sunrays disappeared, darkness starting to fell. Ghouls preferred to attack in the middle of the night but this one seemed to be strong and old enough to be able to see on the last hours of the day. Which was both a good thing and a bad thing for Emma since its strength could be dimmed by the fact that it was older but yet much more wiser and vicious than a younger one. Sucking on her teeth, she raised her sword, her armor clicking slightly before she lunched forward, opening a deep gash on the ghoul's shoulder but not deep enough to reach an artery like she had intended to.

"Dammit" She thought as the ghoul turned, baring its teeth as the black circles that were its eyes searched for its attacker.

It didn't need to search for long and as Emma rose again, her silver sword raised in front of her, the runes on the blade glowing stringer than before, the ghoul let out a howl that would have make a human turn and run, trying to save their life.

Emma wasn't exactly a human and so she stepped closer, her eyes glowing slightly in the dark as she moved, ducking the creature when it marched towards her, its teeth and nails trying to open a wound on her armor clothed body.

The screeching sound of the armor being scratched by the long nails of the ghoul was enough for Emma to wince and bit back an exclamation, the impact making her fall to the river, the dark water being her cushion as she tried to stand once again before the creature attacked her. Her left hand grabbed the sword, the helm cool and slippery under her fingers as she rose, the ghoul looking at her with a spark of curiosity on its eyes, spark that quickly disappeared at the sight of the glowing sword, the dark blood of the creature still staining it.

This time it was the ghoul who moved first, mouth hanging open, strong muscles moving its body forward as Emma ducked once again, the water welcoming her as she lowered her whole body, using the tall grass that grew on the riverbank to momentarily distract the ghoul as she took a few deep breaths, feeling the potions on her body slowly starting to get ineffective.

Soon enough her heart would return to its normal beating and then the monster would not only be able to move quicker than her but also be able to listen to her. Grunting, she squared her shoulders and squinted her eyes, moving to her left, leaving the ghoul at her right, the wound she had opened before on its skin still oozing dark blood the river's water.

As she moved silently, trying to pick up a good angle she felt what she had been fearing all night long; a change of air. And with it it came the sound of the ghoul realizing that it was being attacked from behind.

This time the creature attacked jumping in midair and catching her waist, making her fell against one of the rocks that were in the stream, it's moss-covered surface presenting a weak leverage for both her and the monster whose long nails did nothing as he tried to stand still, reading itself to bite her head off.

Raising her right hand she protected her face from the yaws of the monster, kicking one of its legs as fast as she could and grabbing her laying sword in the precious seconds the monster needed to recover itself. Muttering and drawing a rune in mid-air, the witcher pushed the creature with magic and jumped, sinking the silver sword deep on the creature's heart and twisting it until the ghoul stopped moving, a horrible sound echoing on the forest as the monster screamed its last growls.

Well, Emma thought as she pulled the sword free and spitted next to the now dead body of the necrophages. She really doubted that the villagers were going to be happy when they found out how she had lore the creature but at least she had the money from the greedy barons who would definitely not be happy when they realized that she had taken the money but do the job anyway.

Putting her sword back on her sheath and inspecting the armor in case she had been wounded the witcher made a face. She was really starting to feel old for this kind of job. Or tired.

.-.-.

It wasn't until the early hours of morning when she arrived at the inn where she was staying in, the smell of water and corpses still hanging on her like a cloak and with her hands and face still caked in mud from where she had needed to return back the exhumed corpses. The ghoul was now dismembered, like it was recommended, and it wouldn't bother the villagers never again.

Emma snorted a little as she opened the door of her bedroom, her boots stomping as she entered inside the room with her two swords at her back and the wolf penchant still vibrating softly from time to time, power still in it. She guessed that she had been quite a sight when she had returned to the village, blood and water and her eyes still glowing, the toxicity of the potions she had ingested still visible on her body.

Villagers hated witchers almost as much as they needed them and when the night-shift guards had barren her right to enter inside the little village, squared shoulders and feeling safer after Emma answered affirmatively to her question about the ghoul, she had only shrugged, not wanting to start a fight so close to one of the bigger cities in the entire forest. She needed to keep a low profile after all.

That was the reason why she was entering so early, tiredness starting to show on her movements and downcasted eyes, eyes that blinked when her nose picked up the scent of magic and apples hovering over her almost like an eagle waiting for its prey.

"Regina" She whispered in the darkness of her room only to be answered by a low, deep voice that made every nerve on her body to prickle, the memory of that same voice moaning her name returning briefly to her mind.

"So you remember my name, I was starting to think that you've left that knowledge wherever you left your integrity, witcher"

A fireball appeared and illuminated the room and the dirty face of the witcher who narrowed her eyes trying to focus on the figure that was holding the ball, a set of ruby red lips and chocolate brown eyes that shone fiercely the only thing she could distinguish for a second as her sensitive pupils got used to the magical fire.

Finally, after a few more seconds, she come to face none other than Regina Mills, the witch standing as tall as she was wearing a dark leather vest that was open enough to make Emma's eyes fell on the other woman's cleavage for a second, an equally dark cape hugging her form. She had her hands bared but her gloves hung from her belt, her eyes glowing softly with purple, as she looked at the beaten witcher, black tresses framing her face.

"My my" She said slowly, taking a step closer to Emma who bit her bottom lip and raised her eyes, focusing solely on the witch's face. "You look as if someone had left you in some little village completely alone"

Emma sighed at that, knowing that the witch was nothing but vindictive.

"We already talked about that Regina" She answered instead, leaving her swords in the table near the door placing them strategically at her arm reach, just in case. Next thing to go where her own gloves and the first layer of armor, leaving behind the thick leather she used in order to be comfortable but protected to the multiple beasts she needed to kill. Inspecting the leather she made a face when she spotted the three lines that marked the place in where the ghoul had attacked her. It didn't look like she would need to pay someone to fix that but she would really need some oil for the leather, oil that was particularly expensive.

Sighing and seating while trying not to look at Regina she started unbuttoning her boots, casting a glance to the brunette witch who was lighting the candles that were scattered all over the room before extinguishing the fire ball completely.

Sorceress were almost the same byproduct that Witchers were. While Witchers where orphans fed on mutated plants in order to create a mix-up between a human and the same monsters they will later need to kill, witches were young women that would never have the option to marry and climb the social ladder. Families would pay a small price to the witches' council in order to sign the contract and the girls would then be presented to their respective new families, families in where they would be instructed in the arts of magic. They would never see their families again. Not that many of them really missed their parents.

Maybe that was the reason why in her many travels she had always found witches that could understand how and why she thought the way she thought, why she was fed up on the way the humans seemed to keep treating all of the ones who weren't like them, a long ago lost fight.

Until she had met Regina of course, a powerful sorceress that would be as easy to read as an elvish written book and equally flammable.

And twice as interesting, she murmured under her breath, feeling the sudden change on her heartbeat when the toxicity finally left her body.

"So we have talked about it?" Regina was saying while standing in the middle of the room, hands shimmering purple, a flash of worry glowing for a second behind her pupils when Emma stretched, her ribs protesting as she did so and the pain her body had been until now finally registering on her brain. Albeit the potions had long ago left her body the amount of toxicity had been high enough to protect her body from the pain and, consequently, she was now twice as exhausted as she would have been a few hours before. Moving her neck and trying to loosen up her muscles, the witcher touched the penchant once again, a sign of her distress while the sorceress stood there, trying to keep looking unimpressed.

"Oh, stand up you brute" She finally said, rolling her eyes and moving closer to Emma, forcing the almost albino woman to move from the chair she had been until now and instructing her into loosening her armor, the heavy piece of leather falling into the wooden floor once the cords were pulled out. Under the leather a dirty white camisole met also the probing fingers of the witcher who took that off too under the vigilant eyes of the sorceress, her concern growing by the second as she realized how in pain the younger woman was in.

Finally, after leaving the camisole also on the floor, Emma finally saw the purplish bruise that was quickly spreading all over her ribs. The hit had been definitely stronger than what she had calculated and so she sighed as she touched it, trying to discern how far the damage went.

However, she didn't have the option to do so since a strong hand grabbed hers pulling her fingers away and replacing her feverish digits with cool smooth ones, short nails softly touching the borders of her bruise as two deep brown eyes locked on hers.

The sorceress was smiling sadly at her, all traces of anger completely gone.

"What I'm going to do with you…"

The words were almost whispered but Emma caught them nonetheless and she shrugged noncommittally, knowing full well that she didn't have the answer for that, her mind returning back to the last night Regina and her had been together, moans and fingers, magic, mouths and almost an unbearable heat that had burned them until nothing was left.

"How did you find me?" She finally asked, coughing as Regina touched her abs, never letting her hands go further than that, not higher and definitely not lower. Her legs were still covered by her armor after all.

"I didn't" Regina replied succinctly, her eyes trained on Emma's stomach. "I was send here by the council, they needed someone watching this part of the land at the coronation"

Emma blinked, remembering that in the castle that hovered all over the land there was in fact going to be a coronation in less than a month. It was quite common for the council to send a sorceress in order to be able to know if anything against their plans was being concocted by the always greedy nobility.

"But you would be in the castle, not here" She remarked, muttering curses under her breath when Regina touched a particular sore spot, the hands of the sorceress now caressing her skin lightly.

"Well, I heard something about an albino brute who was rumored to be a witcher" The brunette replied, shrugging and picking some ointment from the pouch she always wore with her, spreading it until Emma's skin shone under the candlelight. "I thought it was worth a try"

Mumbling under her breath, Emma stepped aside and walked to the bed, her whole body feeling heavy and tired now that she wasn't in pain anymore.

"How is Robin?" She finally asked, grabbing her belt and starting disrobing, trying hard to look unaffected at Regina's calculating eyes who kept looking at her, brown irises following every single movement she made, red lips parted.

The sorceress shrugged at that and pointed vaguely at the closed window Emma had in where the light was already bathing the village, the first merchants starting to open their shops, the citizens completely unaware of what had had happened a few hours before. "Last thing I knew, alive"

Emma didn't answered to this but her fingers kept fumbling with the cords of her boots, her torso protesting slightly when she tried to bend over, her back also protesting. "Glad to hear that"

Regina sighed at that and took a step closer, her gentle fingers grabbing Emma's neck and making Emma's body to suddenly freeze, her short nails scrapping Emma's skin, making the witcher's body tingle.

"It was only a mean to an end, I was asked to discover who could be the spy of the court, Robin was a duke, one of the king's most loved friend, it was the obvious choice"

"A choice you didn't inform me off" Emma replied curtly, turning her head and finally disrobing, standing completely naked in the middle of the room, her scar-covered body crouching in the bed as she refused to look at Regina.

A child, that was what Regina often made her feel, a child who desired what she would never have and yet she kept trying no matter what.

"Emma" Regina's voice was less gentle now, holding a hard tone and making Emma remember that Regina was nothing but mercuric whenever she felt insulted. Raising her head she gave the brunette woman a look she hoped had the apologies she didn't want to express and shrugged.

"We are here for different reasons Regina, as we always would be so what do you want?"

The words came easily but she was already insulting herself for stupid knowing that Regina would have her head on a platter the second she could.

"I guess that rescuing you from yourself once again witcher" The sorceress said with a humorless smirk on her lips, her brown eyes growing from concerned and irate to ice-like cold.

Emma turned her head, ready to say something when she felt Regina's fingers once again touching her neck, this time, nails digging on her skin until her lips were firmly pressed against the supple ones of the sorceress who looked at her with barely hidden passion when she finished the kiss.

"Farewell, witcher"

And with that her figure was clouded in a purple smoke and Emma found herself completely alone once again, staring at the place where Regina had been standing completely enraged by the woman.

"Regina!" She screamed, knowing full well that the brunette couldn't hear her anymore. _"As always"_ She though morosely as she glanced at the chair where Regina had been seating until she had entered the room, in the floor in front of it there a parchment she picked up caressing tenderly her ribs when they protested. An invitation, for the coronation.

Raising an eyebrow she touched her lips, apparently the sorceress wanted to play.

* * *

A/N Yes, I've made a mix of the rules of magic with Regina's powers as a sorceress XD and well… too bad? Should I write a second part or just leave it like that?

This work was created thanks to spoonofevil's manips. Please, go to check her stuff!


	2. A pint of information

a/n Cover made by the amazing spoonofevil on tumblr.

A pint of information

The air in the inn was heavy with smoke and alcohol and the stench of meat beginning to rot from the two big chunks of pork meat the elderly inn-keeper displayer behind the old wooden counter made Emma make a face as she finished her beer, her right hand bleeding slightly all over the table she was seated at, completely alone even though the rest of the place was completely booked.

Leaving the beer with a thud and stretching her arms at her sides, she looked at the blade of her silver sword; the slowly drying oil that permitted her to kill ghosts and wraiths more easily beginning to stench as powerfully as the meat the men gathered around the counter didn't seem to have problems asking for.

Sighing and touching the sword, mentally calculating how much oil she still had, she clenched her free hand, noticing how the wound was already beginning to cure itself, the potion she had drunk before the confrontation doing its work. "Unlike me" She thought somberly, grabbing the beer and gulping down the remains of the beverage, the warmed liquid sloshing for a second on her mouth before she swallowed it, its taste no better than the odor that seem to infest the place.

As she looked at the men in front of her, her right hand still closed, blood also starting to dry and her last gold on the table, a man locked eyes with her, brown eyes widening in fear before the stranger muttered something to the man seated at his side, his back already turning, trying to look away from Emma as fast as possible.

"I think she has cursed me" Emma heard him say and a tired smile curled her lips, her eyes going back already to its last Oren. She had grown accustomed to such words long ago but it still hurt in a way and so she let the world fade away, her witcher senses focusing solely on the little piece of metal that kept jumping from one knuckle to another with the aid of her fingers.

She had been in the path for almost a year now, walking and taking as many contracts as possible, fighting monsters, lifting curses and trying not to die in the process. She had accumulated quite a bit of gold during those jobs but not there she was, not moving an inch from a village's inn just in case something happened.

Sighing and blinking away her thoughts she grabbed her mug and made a face as she looked at the its lack of content, her eyes sifting and glinting slowly under the torches that illuminated the place, the beginning of dusk outside the inn dimming everything considerably, making the ones inside the inn blurry enough to make them invisible. For human eyes at least.

Grabbing her sword she swathed it carefully, the sound of the guard clinking on the scabbard making a few ones turns their head, nastily muttering between them as Emma remained seated, unblinking.

It was the sound of the door opening at her right alongside with a tall and lanky figure that entered through the opened door the thing that made Emma look away, one brow arching as her eyes recognized the newcomer, the purples and reds in the doublet she was wearing looking brown for the humans that were in the inn but a completely splash of color for the keener eyes of the witcher.

"Give me some vodka, girl" She heard the newcomer say to one young blonde girl who had served him earlier, shaking and mumbling the price of the mead as she did so. Humming, Emma leaned back on the chair and crossed her arms, waiting for the moment where Ruby would see her if that hadn't happened yet.

The bard tilted her head to one side and smirked, grabbing the mug and turning already towards Emma was seated, her own browns arching as she noticed the empty circle of chairs that surrounded the albino's table.

"Already making friends?" She asked, vodka overflowing the mud when she put down the recipient with a thud, the liquid painting lines on the already over-used table. "You not look very popular among them"

Her voice, modulated and always with an accent that looked like the bard was in the verge of making a joke from whoever she was talking to in that moment, filled the space between her and the albino, the rest of the patrons turning for a second to look at the two of them before going back to their own drinks, the chit chat of the inn soon returning back to normal. It was then when Emma sat as straight as she was able to, a warning on her eyes.

"Have I ever been popular Rubes?"

The bard smirked at that at as she lifted the mug to her lips, the liquid sloshing and falling as she put it back on the table, a single drop staining the collar of the doublet. Emma looked at it with feigned indifference, her own mug laying at one side, abandoned.

"I think I can remember a few times in where you were quite popular, friend"

Emma didn't answer at that although the two of them had known each other long enough to know that Ruby was telling the truth. Having known Emma for almost two decades now the bard was the closest thing to a real friend the witcher had and the two were aware of it.

Grabbing Ruby's mug and taking a healthy drink from it, Emma looked back at the dark-haired woman in front of her, noticing the ink below Ruby's nails and the glazed look the woman always had whenever she had been writing for long periods of time.

"How is that you are here? Last time we talked you told me that you were going to try to work for the south"

The south was governed by the emperor, a man who was as intelligent as was cruel and Emma still remembered how she had snickered to herself when she had heard Ruby's letter a few months ago knowing that the brunette was going to have problems in the rigid environment of the Empire, much less relaxed than in the North.

"That didn't go well" The bard said with a shrug "At first everything was fine but then I happen to met a beautiful woman there and…"

"You bedded the incorrect woman once again?" Emma finished, a small smile curling the corners of her lips, her eyes glinting with amusement.

The bard shrugged and laughed herself; if her fame as bard was good her fame for her appetite for beautiful women and men alike was even more known. Emma was the only one who knew her sad stories about lovers though and as the two of them smiled at each other the bard tapped her fingers against the drying wood, tilting her head towards Emma's swords. Wrinkling her nose when she smelt the oil floating around Emma in a thick cloud the witcher could felt too she pointed at it with one long finger.

"Wraiths?" The bard asked, narrowing her eyes. She had always show an incredible ability to memorize absolutely everything Emma confide her about the job, details and stories that, little by little, were starting to transform themselves into the bards largest compendium of tales.

"One of them in a well near here" Emma replied, her armor clanking when she shrugged, every traces of a smile disappearing.

Ruby hummed at that, looking back and forth between the mug and Emma, coldness shinning on her eyes for a second making Emma think that even if Ruby, or Red as she was frequently called, normally appeared harmless she had been a spy, teacher and bard extraordinaire for too long to not have a few tricks up her sleeve.

"How long have you already been here Emma? Close than a month? Last time I checked you took care of a ghoul contract, there was nothing else here"

Her voice, echoing once again but this time laced worry made Emma look at her long-time friend; her brown eyes, the Cupid 's bow on her upper lip, the white skin. Everything about Ruby screamed something that she wasn't, a sort of beauty encased in something else that wasn't quite her package. Just like Regina.

Wishing she had something more to drink Emma looked at one side, avoiding Ruby's words and eyes and looking straightly to the young blonde girl from before, the teenager, not old enough maybe to even marry yet, swallowed nervously and scurried away, the dress she was wearing fluttering around her body before she was swallowed by the mass of people gathered around the counter.

"Emma" Ruby said, and even if the albino knew that she wasn't being scolded it certainly felt like she actually was when Ruby shook her head once as she turned to look at her.

"You haven't told me what are you doing here yet" Emma replied, eluding the brunette's words, snatching Ruby's drink and finishing it in one last gulp in the process, the strong taste of the drink burning her insides for a second. Her left hand put down the coin she had been keeping until now, the sound of metal against wood strangely strong between the two of them.

"For the royal family and their boy" Ruby replied swiftly, looking at the mug for a second before dismissing it, her elbows now on the table, the sleeves of her doublet shining purple against the light of the torches. "Probably the same reason I've found Regina here, talking to a few nobles up in the castle… looking as gorgeous as ever"

Emma didn't bat an eyelash but knew that she had long ago been caught by her friend, a resigned sigh escaping her lips, her armor clanking once again softly as she moved, the cold reflection of fire against metal blinding Ruby for a second as Emma moved again, her swords titillating against the torches.

"Fine, have it your way" Ruby said after a few more moments of silence, Emma refusing to speak "But if this is going to finish like the first time you and her met I beg you to tell me beforehand, I still have marks for what happened that night"

Emma smiled at the memories Ruby's words brought but she didn't reply at the banter, knowing full well that that was the reason why Ruby had brought up that particular memory.

"Besides" Ruby continued "When was the last time you saw each other?"

 _The night was cold but the room was almost suffocating as Emma took a bath, a quiet sound emerging from her lips, her body completely relaxed in the tub a frightened servant had brought in earlier._

 _Regina, perched in a chaise lounge at her right, read a book, her naked body still displaying marks of teeth from before, a smirk growing on her lips as she muttered something in the air, the atmosphere of the room changing slightly for a second._

 _Seconds after that a sigh was heard and Emma emerged from the bath, completely naked and holding was looked like a crab that shimmered for a second before turning back into dust, the blonde looking at Regina with a brow arched, an amused look on her face._

 _"I told you that I wasn't into that" She murmured, making Regina leave the book on the chaise and standing as tall as she was, the raven of her hair framing her eyes that shone purple for a second, the penchant she had at her neck, the one that helped her canalizing her magic, titillating softly between her breasts._

 _"Maybe I am" She replied with an amused smirk, her right hand touching the albino's stomach, tracing the lean muscle she found there. Emma, who still had her feet on the tub, groaned at that, bending forward and trying to capture the woman's lips with hers. "We should get dressed" Regina said instead, ducking Emma's attempts and going to the bed they had so thoroughly used a few hours before, the pants and doublet she had been wearing before already waiting for her, a dark and white ensemble, like always. "I have a meeting with Robin in less than an hour"_

"A long time ago" Emma replied finally, blinking and coming back from her memories. The crab had left a scar on her inner thigh and she still could remember the throbbing pain she had felt in that second, still surrounded by warm water.

The bard hummed noncommittally at that before continuing, her intelligent eyes locking with Emma's for a second.

"She came the night I took care of the ghoul" Emma finally replied "Invited me to the coronation"

"Why?" Ruby asked, frowning. Emma shrugged and grabbed the penchant she always wore on her neck, the symbol of the witcher's, the wolf's head, tingling for a second even though she couldn't feel power near her.

 _"A residual spell?" "Or just a warning?"_

"I don't know, I've been here ever since, fighting against trolls and a couple of rabid dogs that threatened to kill the idiots who thought that penetrating the forest was a good idea but I still don't have a clue"

"If Regina wants you here it must be for something" Ruby said forcefully "When I saw her I supposed she was here in representation of the Council, maybe even the Lodge if we aren't careful, but asking you to be near…"

"She is waiting something" Emma finished for the bard "I gathered as much"

Ruby hummed, almost wanting to have another drink to accompany the first one Emma had already drunk, her mind swirling with all the information she had been listening all over the castle up in the hill from where the sovereigns were able to see and control the piece of land they owned.

"The Emperor has been quiet this past year, no big battles up north nor west" She provided dutifully. Emma rarely listened to anyone but Regina also rarely asked for help.

"I'm thinking something less complicated, this coronation… the family has something that either the council of sorceress or some other kingdom would want to know or possess?"

The question, asked in a whisper, made Ruby blink, trying to remember any kind of rmors or a barely heard conversation that could lead to what apparently the albino was already suspecting; problems.

"Well, apart from the obvious" She finally answered, shrugging "The coronation itself is a farce and everyone knows that"

"Except me" The witcher deadpanned, shaking her head when Ruby eyed at her, unsure if the other woman was pulling her leg.

"The prince is not blood related with the actual monarchs" She finally informed "He was found abandoned by the Queen as she tried to hunt some deer, they decided to adopt him"

"And then why the coronation?" Emma asked, intrigued

Ruby, shrugging and playing with the hem of her embossed doublet, answered Emma, eyeing suspiciously at the men at her back, knowing full well how every inch of a kingdom may have their spies, waiting for one idiot to say what they weren't supposed to.

"They want to make him eligible once the occasion arises, it's more like a formalization that a real coronation, the boy is barely fifteen, young enough to not still be needed"

"So the Lodge or the Council may be interested in him" Emma said, starting to try to picture Regina's puzzle, one that had started with the invitation and apparently was going to keep unfolding in front of her.

"Guess so, Storybrooke is near the west border of the empire, a quite interesting place for a teenager to reign if something ever happened to the actual monarchs"

Emma hummed, processing the information.

"However" Ruby said "The reasons behind the council or the lodge's actions are never what they look like. Besides, there is the fact that as a witcher you can't take sides in all of this"

"If Regina wants me here is for something" Emma replied back, a cold tone on her voice.

"Last time I think it was because she needed you almost dead, wasn't it?" Ruby retorted, her voice high enough to make a few tables look at the two of them, the inn's cacophony dimming for a second.

After a few more moments Ruby sighed, closing her eyes as Emma eyed the table, her hands grabbing her Oren once again and starting twirling on her hand.

"Just keep in mind that Regina is very intelligent Emma, for all we know she may be working for herself or just wanting to prove something to you."

"I know that" Emma muttered and the bard nodded, knowing that Emma was going to do whatever she felt was necessary to do.

Witchers, as bards and sorceress, had the questionable power of not needing to choose a side or king to answer to. Whereas bards came and went witchers didn't need political knowledge in order to kill monsters. Trained to not feel anything and having as little empathy as possible, witchers were both adored and hated for what they were, addressed as something no more than pure animals in some places of the continent. Sorceress were a different brand, the brand who, unlike bards and witchers, were able to control and actually shape the political reality if it was needed for their purposes. Something that Ruby suspected was the case this time. After all the secret Lodge of Sorceress had been gaining power by trading goods with the isles near the continent, the tribes that lived there starting to form ruckus from time to time.

Humming, she narrowed her eyes, noticing the vacant look on the eyes of her friend.

"When was the last time you slept something?" She asked, raising a brow when her question was unanswered.

"I'm not going to start now, don't you think?" The witcher answered, unamused. Ruby sighed and leaned on her chair, still too many things swirling inside her mind.

"For what I know Regina is staying at the city but not in the castle, you could go and visit her" She suggested. Storybrooke's city was a short walk from where they were after all. "In some noble's house"

Emma nodded, knowing full well Regina's preferences. Albeit she liked the court and the power she knew that were there she also preferred to have independence. Something that wasn't always possible in a castle full of greedy nobles.

"She is staying with a duke?" She asked somberly, eliciting a frown for her friend who shook her head, her long hair moving as well in thick tresses.

"As far as I know is some lesser noble, a widow, but I don't know what kind of power she holds on court"

Murmuring some old curses the witcher stood, nodding briefly at the young blonde and exiting the inn, closing her eyes when the nightly breeze caressed her skin, the smell of manure and burned wood floating in the air. The sun was already settled and for where she was the moon has yet to raise a little more in order to be visible, the trees from the forest near the village whispering old tales of monsters and wolves and as she waited for the bard to come out she heard the howling of something that didn't exactly look animal.

A werewolf perhaps?

Hearing the tell-tale crack of the door of the inn she turned, staring at the bard who was eyeing her, a frown on her eyes.

"I don't like being left with my words on my mouth" She said, making Emma smile a little, thinking again on Regina's own wit.

She really needed to talk to the sorceress.

"I didn't want the whole inn to know exactly what kind of people you know" She said back "Nobles are not exactly loved here"

"They are loved somewhere?" The bard asked back, standing herself near the witcher, her eyes looking at the woods in where the same howling was heard once again. "You are going to visit her, don't you?"

Emma nodded at that, a low growl as a unique response, her mind already elsewhere.

Her medallion tingled, the eyes of the silver wolf's head shining brightly with magic and as she was about to turn and grab her sword she saw a crow, black as night, its eyes shining brightly even in the still young hours of the night.

The bird fled away, leaving behind the city, her eyes not leaving it until it was nothing but a dot on the dark sky, black on black.

"Be careful" Ruby said, pointing at her right, where the road to Storybrooke was visible, the silver rays of the moon already starting to make everything glow softly to Emma's eyes. She knew she should say something to Ruby, perhaps easing her worries, but she didn't.

"Take care"

And with that she walked into the night, a whistle echoing on the village seconds later, the clip-clop of a horse following the sound soon after.

Ruby stood outside the inn, shaking her head softly, a small smile on her lips even though her insides were already worrying. Perhaps it was time for another tale of Emma, a new epic story involving the witcher. Perhaps, she thought, putting her hands inside one of her many pockets and finding there the oren Emma had been playing with before, it was time to have eyes and ears focused on the albino, something was definitely not adding up.

* * *

At the other side of the mountains that circled the reign of the monarchs of Storybrooke a single crow fell to the forest floor, its beak broken as well as its neck, the magic that had been guiding it disappearing with one final glow. A stutter went over the trees around it, as if they could sense the same presence that had been killed the animal.

A hand covered in thick leather grabbed the animal, fine lips parting in what looked like a mock of a smile.

The howling echoed in the woods once again.


	3. Smell of magic and leather

A/N Sorry for the tardiness! December is being the month from hell apparently -.-  
Anyway –takes a deep breath- I don't know how many of you may follow me on tumblr but I've been posting there under the tag of forgottenpromise little extras of the story like the characters profiles, a map for the ones that this is their first dive into the world of the witcher and many other details and tips that could come in handy. The tumblr url is like my penname, shadowdianne and if someone wants to ask me any detail regarding this story or any other one you always come there and ask in case you prefer tumblr over ff or ao3.

Smell of magic and leather

The widow's mansion where Regina was staying wasn't exactly difficult to find and so at the first hours of morning Emma presented herself in front of the house that was almost on the outskirts of the rich part of the city. It was certainly a place that had seen better moments but still was too proud to settle down for less. Knowing what Emma knew about the nobility that was probably the case with the ones that lived there; an old maiden and her servant for what she had been told by the old man that had pointed her in the good direction once she had reached the town and the guards had thoroughly looked at her belongings, muttering insidious comments about her aspect and medallion as they did so. The money that wasn't on the house she was eyeing now could probably have disappeared have gone with the deceased husband and it showed.

Albeit the city was quite used to have visitants wearing swords due to its proximity with the Temerian and Nilfgaardian borders the two hilts made a few young children –offspring of the rich merchants that had recently moved to that part of the town Emma gathered- look at her in wonder as the dirty looks of the adults who knew perfectly well what meant the penchant the albino had around her neck redoubled every time a child approached Emma. Knowing full well that she was dragging attention from errand boys and noblemen alike Emma stood in the middle of the stone-paved floor of the road and waited, her arms crossed over her chest, white tresses covering her eyes every time she moved her stance slightly; she needed a cut she thought for a second; a blind-witcher was a dead one.

For what she had learnt Regina was actually behaving quite unusually deciding to stay in one of the less rich noblewomen in the entire court she thought as she eyed the slowly awakening city through her too long bangs. As hungry for knowledge the sorceress usually was the decision of staying with someone who didn't hold the same power in court like she had done before was a strange decision, one that didn't exactly suit the brunette sorceress.

Humming to herself and feeling the medallion on her neck heating up for a second she let her body and mind reconnect once again, scaring a young little boy that went back running to one side of the street once her pupils changed, her hands twitching slowly as it happened. Regina had probably sensed her.

She really didn't need to wait after that and as the first smells of trading goods accompanied with the ever-growing mutters around her started to get too obvious to not listen to them the main door of the house was opened by a slim little girl who looked at Emma once before nodding, blushing and looking over her shoulder for a second before looking back at Emma who grunted and walked towards the girl, her two swords clanking softly between them as she walked, her light amour making the softest of sounds as she passed just right behind the servant, the girl still red once the door was closed tightly behind the two of them.

Once inside Emma turned to look at her; young and blonde the girl appeared to barely reach 18 and the witcher thought about the girl that had been working on the inn the night before. Far too young perhaps, like the one she was looking at.

"I'm getting old" She thought, smirking darkly at the concept; Witchers aged far more slower than the rest of humans, just like sorceress, dwarves and elves, the last ones having a lifespan far more dilated than the witchers themselves. Old was a concept that witcher didn't exactly know what it meant, not like it would mean for a human at least. But she still felt old in that moment.

"Madame Mills wants to talk to you" The girl finally said, trembling a little as she talked, giving a little courtesy once she had finished to speak. Her voice was soft and airy, her eyes not exactly meeting Emma when the woman tried to take a look at the servant, curious of her. Definitely the girl had been taught on the noblemen houses and the way she eyed the weapons and Emma's eyes from the corner of her own –the cat-like pupils shrinking ever so slightly- made the witcher almost want to smile again. She had come across many noblemen servitude, most of them weary of her aspect, a few of them even treating her like nothing but scum. The girl, however, looked as curious as it was scared and for a second she let herself play with that knowledge.

"Did she told you something else?"

The girl shook her head once and turned, her red hands, product of the times she probably had washed the clothes those past few months still clutching the loose dress she wore.

"Already scaring the service? I thought that you at least would want to wait until I've finished with you"

The words, said in a deep tone with sultry undertones that no other woman Emma had ever met could have produce, was what gave away the sorceress presence and as Emma turned and looked at the beginning of the wooden stairs that led to the second floor of the place her pupils dilated ever so slightly at the sight of the brunette, her digits fidgeting for a second when the woman started her descent over the stairs, her hands at her sides and a small smirk on her bloody red lips.

The sorceress wore on of her dresses, tight enough to be considered revealing but still not showing really as much cleavage as other members of her order. If witchers were known due to their deadly work sorceress were known of her vanity and it was a trait that every single one of them shared. This time, however, the sorceress was wearing something that could be considerate appropriate and as the woman brought her hands to her styled hair Emma caught the smell of apples and something that it could only be considered magic coming on her way. The scent she had learn to link to the sorceress and one she had drunk from the woman's skin more times than she would want to remember.

"Going for a visit to the royal couple?" She asked, a smile on her lips when Regina raised a brow, the penchant she always wore on her neck glowing lightly, magic becoming strong enough around her that Emma's own penchant noticed it and trembled warningly.

"Always a delight to see you too" The sorceress finally said, reaching the end of the stairs and motioning towards the room she had on her right, the stillness of the place, which smelt of dust and old money that would never come back, made Emma look at every corner consciously, knowing full well that she really couldn't trust the sorceress and her methods. Not like they were better than hers anyway.

"Where is your host?" She asked instead as she saw how Regina snapped her fingers, the same girl of before appearing with two cups full of wine, her stammering lips muttering something the witcher didn't catch.

"Thank you Cinder" Regina said distractedly as she also looked around her, the books and sheets of slowly yellowing paper showing the place the probably now dead husband of the widow had been using as a study. "Currently trying to make amends with one of the new merchants on the city, a real catch they say"

"So you are alone" She asked and seeing the way the sorceress lips parted made her sigh inwardly, already preparing herself for some of the brunette sharp tongue.

The lashing comment, however, didn't came and so the albino found herself looking expectantly at Regina who nodded once before grabbing one of the two cups, her lips glinting slightly due to the droplets of wine that got stuck there, being swiftly removed by the aforementioned tongue as the woman turned slowly, giving her back to the blonde, approaching to one desk that was completely swarmed in vials, maps and books. Regina's workplace probably.

"You could say that. Now witcher, how is that you are here, so early in the morning without any single invitation? People will start to talk"

"As if you care for what other people say" Emma replied swiftly, taking its own cup and walking towards Regina, stopping just a few steps behind her, her eyes fixed on the woman's hair, trying hard not to start looking at the glimpses of neck she could see here and there between the carefully brushed tresses. Her boots echoed on the wooden floor and for a second Emma's mind went back to her days as an apprentice, the rules of how a witcher should be walk coming back to her.

You need to be quick, soft, like a feather.

Shame that those kind of epithets could never function around a certain sorceress.

The brunette turned back, her smile transforming into a smirk, one that almost looked feline, as she eyed the albino. Her eyes shone purple once again as she rose one single hand, the tips of her fingers caressing Emma's armor, the chains so carefully applied by some dwarf in the northern side of the kingdoms trembling under the power of the sorceress. Emma didn't move a muscle albeit she felt her whole body answering to the magic, every cellule of her being suddenly alert, waiting.

"Your reflexes are as sharp as ever" Regina finally commented, taking a step back and eyeing Emma, smirk still on place and a cold look on her face; the purple on her irises and pupils fading slowly as she talked. She had abandoned her accent long ago, almost as long as Emma had started using a rivian accent, but in that moment the way the words echoed against her tongue and teeth had a cadence that could almost be seen on air, Emma's body shuddering again albeit no magic had been involved this time.

"And you are the same as ever" She proclaimed narrowing her eyes. She wasn't angry, not anymore, and she definitely didn't feel regret but the way Regina's eyes seemed to flash made her sigh inwardly, remembering all too well…

"You are leaving"

It wasn't a question, nor a reproach and Emma could feel the bitter taste of jealousy on her teeth and tongue as she nodded.

"Again"

And it was true, she had already been gone once. A long time ago for the two of them but still too present.

"I did"

"Shall I presume that your friend told you about my incursions on the court then?" The question, asked succinctly, made Emma blink, leaving her memories on her subconscious mind, her body tensing as another wave of magic and apples caressing her nose.

"You already told me that you were here for the coronation" Emma replied, not wanting to give the bard's name so quickly. Reluctant of doing it.

"True" Regina accepted, giving a minute nod before looking at the desk again, her long fingers caressing one of the many papers that were scattered around. The silver star she wore on her neck shone the moment she moved, catching Emma's eye for a second before she looked at the paper for a second time, her brows arching as she saw a map from the continent, the new barriers between the kingdoms and the empire written on bright red ink that was starting to fade slowly. "Have you thought about my offer?"

Emma didn't answer to that, eyeing a curious trail of dark blue ink that seemed to tell something on the south part of the kingdom, the Temerian and Aedirn borders being pushed back unsteadily as they were. Storybrooke, barely a speck on the normal maps, almost doubled in size by a large point that situated the city too close to the empire's borders for Emma to really feel uncomfortable with the picture. Apart from that the map was like the many others Emma had already seen; the continent divided in two parts, empire and kingdoms, looking back at her. The Nilfgaardian Empire with the black sun as its symbol on the south, the four major kingdoms-Aedirn, Kaedwen, Redania and Temeria- plus the minute ones that formed the rest of the continent on the north drew with such precision that the mountains and forests were also pictured on it. Storybrooke, apart from having being drawn in such a strange way, appeared on top of one of the southern rivers of the kingdoms, near the border of the now destroyed Cintra, the war and battles that had been fought there making Emma swallow tightly, remembering the battle and the consequences that it had brought to the people of the north. Temeria was at its northwest, the borders there slightly blurred. As if changing.

Before she could say anything though a purple cloud covered the maps and she found herself looking again to Regina's irises, a warning shining on them.

"Why do you want me there?" She finally asked, looking straightly at the brunette eyes, leaving her cup on the table and shrugging, her arms crossing again on top of her chest, the familiar weight of her swords shifting slightly on her back as she did so. "It's not exactly normal to have a witcher in a coronation, unless is for a contract"

Regina, who had been looking at something behind Emma for a second, blinked and nodded, the same mischievous smile than before appearing slightly before she answered, her clothes catching the light of the room for as she moved, crossing her own arms, the fabric of her dress tightening against her arms and chest.

"Who did say that this wasn't one?" She finally asked, deflecting Emma's obvious question with a dismissing movement, her eyes traveling back to where the maps of the continent had been, a deep look on her eyes as she did so, the warning suddenly appearing once again as she looked back to Emma, who hadn't move one single millimeter.

The blonde weighed her options, remembering how Regina had appeared just after the ghoul attack. Not mischief there, at least not one that she could detect. Which didn't exactly mean much considering she was talking about Regina.

"So this is about a contract?" She asked, making the brunette nod firmly, the smirk staying on her lips.

"Always so decided… you could say that is about a contract, in a way"

Emma kept silent, not bothering to even say anything yet, she knew that Regina would tell her eventually everything the brunette sorceress decided it was best for her to know and she wasn't wrong.

"Go to talk to the monarchs, they are quite interested on meeting you"

"I'm not some errand boy" Emma said coldly "You know how I think about working for the nobility"

"And yet you work for them" Regina replied smartly, laying on the desk, the dress she wore opening ever so slightly with the movement, showing Emma one calf the brunette was quick to hide once again with the smirk turning into a secretive smile that barely lasted a second. "Besides, I'm sure you are quite intrigued by now, Ruby's worries always made you think twice about everything"

The curt words made Emma blink twice, the movement, albeit minute, being caught by the sorceress who turned her smirk into a humorless smile. "I always knew that the bard didn't like me, it's still quite interesting to know how much though"

Emma didn't say anything to that verbal jab, spies, as she had just confirmed, could be everywhere.

Regina waited for a second before turning, knowing that Emma wouldn't go, not yet at least. She knew the albino far too well.

"You have an audience in a few hours, the queen will be attending you" She said, lips tight once she finally turned, cup in hand and the glimpse of the map from before glinting behind her, lines seeming to be moving by their own as she spoke. "And Emma"

The witcher, who had been about to turn for real this time halted, the movement making her armor to protest.

"I'm glad to see your wounds seem to have healed properly" It was a futile observation, Emma had been wounded worse, a lot worse, and her body had survived the blows. But she took the word for what it was and nodded, the curt response making Regina tilt her head to one side, dark hair cascading, the proudness every sorceress showed in the way they kept her hair long despite the inconveniences of having it like that obvious, the social status that gave us taking a new meaning with Regina and Emma almost smiled, remembering one night she had seen the ritual the brunette always subjected her hair before going to bed.

"Do you plan going to bed sometime soon?" The words were playful, light. A tone that few could say they had hear Emma using.

"Once you are asleep everything can happen dear" The answer was playful in the same way Emma's light laugh was heard all over the room. Far too happy maybe, but still too real and as the albino touched the cold side of the bed, sleepy eyes looking at the figure of the sorceress she let out a heavy sigh. One that echoed inside her long before she had fallen asleep.

The two of them shared a look and Emma did nothing this time to avert her gaze, noticing the way the brunette's eyes stared at her, the rise and fall of the woman's chest matching her own, those luscious red lips parting ever so slightly, wet due to a quick tongue that she barely got a glimpse from.

And she knew in that moment that they really had a lot of things they really needed to talk, explanations maybe that had been long overdue. But that would have need many other things the witcher did not have and wasn't intending on even trying to pretend she had them so she nodded one final time before leaving, Regina sighing when the door finally closed, the smell of the street from the outside reaching her nose for a second, making her almost want to smile. Leather and burned wood, that was the smell she had learnt to associate with the witcher, a smell that didn't do justice and yet it was too fitting for her.

"Cinder" She called and the girl appeared, her eyes blinking quickly, as if excited by a douse of fisstech, the drug that could be sold and found in almost every street of the kingdoms. Judging by the state of her nose and the slightly tremble of her hands the douse should have been taken a few minutes ago and the sorceress sighed inwardly at the sight. "I will be going to the palace, if your mistress comes back tell her I will return in a few hours."

"Of course" The voice was broken and airy, as if her mind was already elsewhere and probably it was. As Regina gathered her belongings from the desk she shook her head once, dismissing the girl with the gesture.

The map was the last thing she picked up, her eyes shining purple as she looked at one point of it, her penchant glowing on white bright magic, tendrils coming out of it for a second.

Just a little more, she thought, just a little more.

A/N this is the final "slow" chapter, next one will be a short interlude and from that things are going to start happening ;)


	4. Interlude: Griffin contract

A/N Sorry it took me so long! I hope this chapter makes up enough for the long wait ^^'' The next one will be edited and posted by tomorrow but first a short interlude! To the ones that have read the Witcher series there is an Easter egg in this interlude, let's see if you caught me in it! ;)

 **Interlude**

 _(16 years ago)_

The sun barely heated anymore as the trot of the horse ricocheted on the rocks of the path that had been Emma's only map for the past two weeks. The albino palmed the horse's neck before straightening herself in the back of the animal, narrowing her eyes as her tongue, dried due to the long days she had been traveling without almost a single drop of water.

"Just a few more hours Roach" She intoned, her voice husky, her accent thickening due to her tiredness. Even with her enhanced senses and much more durance than the normal human her limits had been tested after crossing the mountains from one point to another in less than the normal month she would have needed. Grumbling, she touched the practically healed wound that still oozed blood from time to time at the left side of her neck. Manticores had always been her personal favorites even though they always managed to leave a quite everlasting impression.

In front of her, still a speck but clear enough for her trained eyes, a city rose proudly in the middle of the forest, the path she had been walking until now signaling its proximity with the imprints of dozens of boots and horseshoes that had been steadily growing since the last half a day or so. With the weight of her swords at her back and her hands grasping tightly the cords that kept her seated on Roach she kept walking, the beast barely acknowledging his master's presence with a neigh that made Emma smirk ever so slightly.

It would be the last time she decided to help a noble, she thought morosely for a second, knowing full well that according to the code she would probably help another one in the next following days, that and that she obviously needed to eat, task that became much more simpler when she had a few Orens on her pocket.

"What do you think Roach?" She asked the horse, a humorless smirk on her lips. "Should I retire and life in solitude like those druids that Ruby talks about in her songs?"

Roach didn't say anything but shake his head, the answer enough for the albino to chuckle once again. Yes, Roach was right, she probably would never do that, Witchers existed to hunt beasts, no matter how ingrate the kings of the kingdoms terrorized by such monsters could be.

Sighing and closing her eyes for a second she bit her bottom lip, Regina appearing on her mind for a second, purple and brown interlacing on her thoughts, making her sigh ever so slightly as she kept moving forward.

"I will see you on Tretogor" The Sorceress had said two months ago in the bed of a village Emma barely remembered anymore. The brunette had turned to look at her, brown hair cascading and a twinkle of desire already glowing on her lips. Emma had smirked at that and had touched briefly the woman's naked shoulder only to be swatted away by the other woman's right hand. "Will you be there?"

Emma had shrugged, knowing that Regina didn't want a response; she never wanted one after all.

"We will see" She had whispered, a kiss being given with those lips that smelt like magic and apples the second her words were out.

Of course the two of them knew that Emma would probably be there, they knew each other well enough to know that. But it was different to play it like they didn't know, like they didn't expect the other to show up. And so Regina had left her and Emma had started the path once again.

If it hadn't been for that that manticore she would have already arrived to the capital city of Redania. But now there it was, arriving one day late and with an injury that would probably have Ruby gasping and trying to create some sort of poem about it.

Rolling her eyes the witcher chuckled to herself. The image of her friend busily trying to find something heroic to say about her wound making her smile. It had already been quite some time since she hadn't seen the young bard. Perhaps a visit to Oxenftur, where the largest University of the northern reigns stood, wouldn't be a bad idea. Nodding to herself and humming slightly she breathed deeply, making a face when the pain on her ribs seemed to increase; she healed more quickly than a human but broken ribs were still a painful injury no matter what.

Luckily, Tretogor was almost there and with it not only Regina would be there but also healers that would probably help her after she show them the Orens she had won with the manticore's contract. Still holding tightly Roach's reins she kept moving forward, the smell of dirty leather floating behind her.

Tretogor, capital of Redania, was certainly one of the most interesting cities in the northern reigns and the kingdom it belonged to was also one that certainly gave Emma more work to do since the Kestre Mountains were known for being populated by monsters and creatures that shouldn't have existed. Reigned with an iron fist by Leopold The Strict the human king had made the kingdom grow under his reign pushing to dangerous levels the barriers between the other three kingdoms Redania adjoined.

However, when Emma entered in the city once she had needed to be inspected by the city guards who eyed her suspiciously the moment they saw her strange-looking cat-like eyes, the smell of war or fear didn't seem to prevail in the air. The smell of fish and fruits however floated in the air in a foggy cloud that made the albino woman bit back a sneeze.

Market days, as much as Emma hated them, were good for her since that meant that more healers would be up to cure her injuries or at least sell her some of the most normal potions she took. Parking Roach on the closest inn she found she gathered her belongings and started to search for a healer, her eyes and ears also sharp in case Regina appeared, a futile hope, she knew that, since the sorceress always tried to avoid the common folk as much as she was able to. Sighing so slightly and shaking her head in order to not think about the many nights she had spent with Ruby, the other woman trying to make her realize that whatever game Regina was playing with her didn't need to be good for her, she almost missed the little shop of an elderly woman whose eyes seemed to be covered by cataracts, her stand full with potions and tinctures.

The woman barely reacted when she spoke but as her accent became more prominent a hint of worry seemed to cross her features, her elderly hands trembling when she gave her the two potions that would help her by easing the pain until her body took care of the rest. Emma didn't mind the trembling accustomed as she was but something in the woman's body, a shadow on her, made her blink just a few times as she gave her the Orens she had requested.

"Excuse me" The woman finally talked, a shadow of doubts seeming to grow on the back of her throat. "Are you by chance a witcher?"

Blinking slowly and already starting to frown Emma nodded, a quiet yet steady "yes" following her movement.

The woman didn't say anything, pointing at a parchment that hung from one fine cord on one of the planks that helped her stand to keep standing. Curiously Emma reached for it, raising a brow when she saw Leopold's signature on it, the rest of the parchment depicting what looked to be a griffin and the symbol that was normally used in case someone asked for a witcher contract.

"His Majesty asked for soldiers a few moons ago" The woman finally spoke, her voice steadier now. "But none of them returned so he started to use those but every witcher that appears asking for the contract never returns"

"I see" Emma replied, looking intently at the picture; it wasn't a good one and she could see that the author of the picture wasn't one that had actually learnt the differences between the many species of griffin that existed but it was a clear enough portrait to make her think on actually going to ask the king about it. "Where have the griffin been spotted?" The place wasn't exactly one of the normal places an animal like that would live but she had already seen stranger contracts.

"In Storybrooke" The woman replied and that name alone made Emma frown even more. Storybrooke, for what she knew, was a free city that stood at the southern side of the northern kingdoms, barely a speck in the map and certainly not one of Leopold's properties.

"It's said" The woman added while hugging herself tightly, her long and thin arms stretching the wrinkled skin as she did so "That Storybrooke is own by the family that will give his son to him in order to make him marry his daughter, hence the need of a witcher contract"

Emma look at the woman in front of her and nodded, the prickling sensation of magic never leaving her entirely as she did so. Sighing and already turning she gave the woman a curt nod and a one more Oren, the old woman smiling with her toothless mouth in return.

"Thank you" She replied and if she had turned in that moment she would have been able to seen a sinister smile that crossed the decrepit woman's face.

"No witcher, thank you"


End file.
